Devoted father died trying to rescue sons from Jersey Shore waters

When two of his younger brothers began to struggle in the surf in September, Salah Selmi is not shocked that his father, Salem Salah, stepped into the ocean at a Jersey Shore beach.

According to his son, he most likely would have done it for a stranger. Salah enjoyed assisting others, whether they were members of his extended family or clients at his Pottstown, Pennsylvania, auto repair business.

Like everyone else, he never refused anyone. “Bring the money back,” Selmi recently urged, “even at the shop, whenever someone is low on money and can’t afford this and that.”

The fact that his father did not make it through the rescue attempt was shocking and tragic.

On September 22, local rescue swimmers rescued Salah, a 55-year-old man, from the waters of the Shark River Inlet close to the L jetty, which is the southern jetty in Avon-By-the-Sea.

According to police investigations, Selmi explained how his kids, who are 15 and 19 years old, climbed onto the rocks of the inlet, one on the Belmar side and one on Avon’s L jetty.

For many years, Salem Salah, who is also known by his Arabic nickname Fadel, resided in Newark with his family and worked as a mechanic. They moved to Pottstown approximately five years ago, according to his son, since it had better healthcare and schools and was less violent.

Selmi, 21, is currently operating Amana Auto Repair with his brother, 19, who nearly drowned, and is making every effort to provide for his family, which consists of ten people.

In addition to the fact that his father’s passing has crushed him and his family, Selmi was learning that his father had worked for decades in the auto repair industry. He is proud to have taken over his father’s responsibilities, even if it has been challenging at times, such as handling invoices and the non-auto portion of the company.

In a recent phone conversation, he stated, “I have to, I have to provide for my family,” while working from the business while background clangs could be heard.

According to Selmi, his father was an avid fisherman who frequently visited lakes and fished from boats. His younger brothers had been pleading with him to go fishing in the ocean in September.

Selmi was unable to attend the trip. According to the police report and his family’s testimonies, which NJ Advance Media acquired via a public records request, the following happened:

The family was at the L jetty, a well-liked beach for fishing and socializing. Because of the offshore weather that day, the ocean was choppy.

This 2023 file photo shows the L jetty in Avon, New Jersey.Mills, Andrew | NJ Advance Media

There was also another family there: his children’s cousins, his father’s best friend, whom Selmi said was so close that they call him their uncle.

Around 6:30 p.m., Selmi’s siblings began to struggle in the water while his uncle was away for five minutes praying. According to Selmi, his brothers were cooling down in a quiet spot with small waves close to the L jetty.

The L jetty is special because a portion of it runs perpendicular to the shore, providing swimmers with apparent safety and a breakwater. Selmi claimed that his brothers were ultimately carried out and around the jetty, nevertheless.

Salah followed them into the sea.

Selmi claimed that his uncle had just returned, bringing with him a flurry of yelling and screaming.

One of the swimmers was climbing back onto the L jetty when a police officer arrived after receiving a 911 call reporting three swimmers in difficulty. The ANSWER team, a collaborative, volunteer water rescue group, was sent by the police.

The current was carrying the other two Salahs and a son south toward the inlet’s entrance.

Salah was submerged when three rescue swimmers entered the sea after being signaled by police officials to the victims, according to the authorities. The second son eventually found refuge after being swept into the rocks.

While performing CPR, officers and rescuers dragged Salah onto the rocks on the Avon side.

According to Selmi, his mother looked on in horror as everything happened.

Before arriving at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, where Salah was declared dead, rescuers loaded him into an ambulance and all of the family members into police cars.

According to his son, Selmi and his mother were assisted by family friends in burying Salah in New Jersey. One day, he wants to get a lovely headstone and gather some additional money.

He’s concentrating on maintaining the repair shop and helping to look after his siblings for the time being, though.

2024 has been a tough year, Selmi added.

The family is originally from Gaza and is Palestinian.

Selmi claimed that when the conflict with Israel started in October of last year, he was in Gaza with his newborn daughter. He saw death frequently, literally had rockets dropping all around him, and then found himself attempting to escape a combat zone.

According to Selmi, his father sort of saved him.

Salah repeatedly phoned representatives of the U.S. State Department in an attempt to get Selmi’s name included to a list that would let him to enter Israel and return to Pennsylvania.

Selmi responded, “He did it.” My father rescued me.

“It’s been the most crazy year of my life,” he added.

In September 2024, Salem Salah, pictured in a family portrait, perished while attempting to rescue his sons from the Jersey Shore’s water.(Photo of the family)

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